National League Division Series

In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring the three division winners and the winner of the wild-card play-off.

History

2000 National League Division Series

The 2000 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2000 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Sunday, October 8, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were:

The higher seed (in parentheses) had the home field advantage (Games 1, 2 and 5 at home), which was determined by playing record. The Cardinals were awarded home field advantage rather than the Braves due to their 4–3 advantage in head-to-head play.

The Cardinals and Mets went on to meet in the NL Championship Series (NLCS). The Mets beat the Cardinals four games to one to advance to the 2000 World Series, where they would face the American League champion New York Yankees. With their division rival Atlanta Braves losing to the Cardinals, the Mets run to the World Series became much easier.

2009 National League Division Series

The 2009 National League Division Series (NLDS) consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 National League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team played in the two series. The NLDS began on Wednesday, October 7 and ended on Monday, October 12. TBS televised all games in the United States. The matchups were:

This marked the second postseason meeting between the Phillies and Rockies in three seasons; the Rockies swept the Phillies in the 2007 NLDS. The Dodgers and Cardinals last met in the postseason during the 2004 NLDS, which the Cardinals won 3–1.

The Dodgers and Phillies won their respective series—the Dodgers three games to none and the Phillies three games to one. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers in the NLCS by a series score of 4–1, and lost the 2009 World Series to the New York Yankees, 4–2.